Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6-Quart Food Steamer
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List Price: Our Price: $39.95 You Save: $5.04 (11%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $32.49 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Oster 5712 Electronic 2-Tier 6-Quart Food Steamer
Customer Review: Hard boiled eggs
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this steamer a year ago. It does a good job on the expected rice and veggies.
But it shines in the hard boiled egg department. No more overcooked/undercooked eggs. Just pop them in the egg steamer tray set for 15 minutes and perfect eggs. No need to babysit a boiling pan of water. Great if you're making lots of eggs for a party
I've used it to do shrimp in one level and orzo in the other. With a little practice you will learn when to add the second steamer basket so both are cooked at the same time. Small instruction book is very well written.
All winter I cook steel cut oats with dried fruit. I fix it the night before, store it in the steamer bowl in the fridge, start it next morning. By the time I'm done with my shower my breakfast is ready.
At harvest time I steam my tomatoes, cool them and put them in freezer bags. When I need to make tomato sauce it's just defrost, add spices and reheat in the steamer.
Customer Review: Surprisingly quite handy
Summary: 4 Stars
Normally I'm against kitchen gadgets because they tend to add clutter and sit unused. This Oster food steamer was a pleasant surprise, however. I've used it to make a BUNCH of deviled eggs recently for a party, and this was much easier than making them in a pot. Furthermore, I prefer to use this to heat up food because it's easier and everything stays moist. I also use this frequently to cook frozen dumplings, Chinese steamed breads, dim sum, etc. The fact that I can turn this on, walk away for an extended period of time, and come back to the food ready and set on the warming function is fantastic. You simply can't do that with a stove top steamer.
The only downsides are emptying the unit of water. It should really have a spigot built in to the side. Also, I like steaming whole fish which works fantastic in this unit but it's hard to find fish small enough to fit inside. If you only plan on steaming fillets or fish steaks, then you shouldn't have a problem.
Customer Review: Sensational... but
Summary: 5 Stars
I originally purchased this product in order to steam fruits and veggies to make homemade babyfood. I've been finding that I use it all the time for everyone in the family. There is a HUGE difference in the way food tastes when using this product. Food is much crisper, and flavorful when cooked in the steamer as compared to when it is cooked in a pot on the stove. It is simple to operate and clean up as well. ***1.5 years later*** It has stood the test of time although the steamer baskets have stained and warped. I am editing this review to add a warning to all those concerned with plastics. The plastic used in the steamer baskets are marked a "7". This is one of the worst culprits in the world of plastic for leaching harmful toxins into the food you are preparing with this appliance. I have contacted Oster to inquire wheather they are going to produce steamer baskets made with a food friendlier alternitive to plastic #7. I am waiting for that response.Customer Review: Works great with lots of space and very fast!
Summary: 5 Stars
Picked up this unit after our trusty old Black & Decker finally bit the dust after 15 years! The unit was more spacious than it appears in the description. We had a hard time finding a unit to look at locally so bought this on faith of Amazon reviews.
Unit arrived quickly and was easy to assemble. Washed and plugged everything in and was amazed a the speed of warm up - this unit is ferocious! Steamed up a lot of food and didn't have any problems. This unit uses and discharges a lot of water. The steam catch tray fills up pretty quickly so check it (makes cleaning easier).
Only minor quibble is that the plastic is very soft and tends to scratch easily. The older unit we had didn't have this problem. For the money, this unit is great and I'd buy another. Easy to clean off the lime build-up since the heating element is non-stick coated and easy to access. The keep warm function is nice if you aren't going to eat right away.
Customer Review: $29.97 so I can walk away
Summary: 4 Stars
I think the 511 model with the old fashioned timer might be preferable because both tiers have more head room. I can only use one tier in the 512 because my dishes are too deep for the second tier to stack on the bottom one. I'm not sure how often owners of the 512 use both tiers. I haven't used the top tier or the rice pan. I have been able to fit two pyrex containers in these so I have using this to reheat leftovers (I don't own a microwave).
I prefer this to using my stockpot to steam food because this boils up fast and more importantly allows me to walk away. That's heaven for a reluctant cook like myself. Unless you hate cooking as much as I do, you'll probably see this purchase as a waste when a pot on the stove will do the same job. I prefer to use this for most tasks. So far I haven't had too many occasions when I needed both tiers so the lower price of the 512 over the 511 still makes this the best choice I could have made.